If Only
by TheTrueMrsEdmundPevensie
Summary: She doesn't know why he suddenly hates her. She doesn't understand why he goes to great lengths to avoid even being in the same room with her for too long. She just knows that she loves him.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lab Rats or any of the characters. If I did…let's just say the show would be a LITTLE different! XD**

**Anyway, yes, this is a new story from yours truly! And I'm very well aware that I need to update "Just A Distraction", "Nothing Can Stop Us Now" and "Convincing"! (Am I missing any?) I will, I promise! I just…you know…need to think of where to go with them…**

**ANYWAY, this will be a very angsty story! I wanted to do something a little different with Bree and Chase. And what a happy way to start off the summer season! (she says sarcastically..) :P**

**So, please enjoy! And don't forget to review what you think! **

Bree smiled as she flung a paper plane toward Chase, fist pumping the air in victory when it collided with the back of his head. His hand automatically went to the spot that she hit, turning in his seat to give her a look.

"Do you mind?" He asked.

She shrugged. "Not really."

He sighed and turned around again. "Well stop. I'm trying to write my English essay and I'd really appreciate it if you-"

His sentence was cut short by another plane.

"Are you _really_ that bored to be throwing badly made origami at me?" He questioned, spinning around in his chair to face her head on.

"I already finished my homework, unlike _some_ people." She stated.

"Well you're not in advanced classes like me so…"

She arched one of her eyebrows. "Are you implying that I'm not smart?"

He shook his head. "Of course not!" She smiled. "You're just not as smart as _me_."

Her smile faded at his comment. She narrowed her eyes and threw yet another plane at him, causing him to groan out loud. "Do you want Spike to come out or something? Because it's headed that way!"

"Well he's more fun than _you_ are!" She teased.

She watched him roll his eyes. "Hah ha. Excuse me for wanting to get into college."

"Just have Mr. Davenport _build_ you a college!" She chuckled, grabbing a piece of paper to start on another plane. "He certainly has the money."

He smirked. "I already have my eyes set on one that not even Mr. Davenport can replicate." When her response was an eyebrow raise, he smiled proudly. "Yale."

"Big shock there." She muttered. "Everyone knows you're practically in already. You _are_ a boy genius!"

"Well _thank you_, but it's not a sure thing yet." He said as she folded the wings of her next plane. "You could get in too, you know."

She snorted. "_Okay_."

"I'm serious." She looked up. "You're smart enough, you just have to put in the work."

She smiled at him. "Thanks." They looked at each other until she shook her head. "But I don't think so. I don't plan on going to an Ivy League school. It'd be too much pressure."

He nodded just as the lab doors opened and Adam came running in with Leo trailing behind him.

"Dude, just help me out!" Leo whined, making Adam turn to face him.

"No! The last time I helped you win a girl's heart…well..it didn't turn out good, remember?"

Leo gasped. "And what makes you think this girl will fall for you like Danielle did?"

Adam chuckled, gesturing to himself. "I mean, come on."

"Can you believe this guy?" Leo asked, turning to the others. "He thinks he _so _smooth just because he's tall, handsome and has super strength!"

"Well those _are_ good qualities to have." Bree pointed out.

Leo narrowed his eyes at her. "Thanks for the help." He remarked sarcastically.

"Any time!" She smiled as she stood up. "Except now, I'm going out."

"Where?" Adam asked, taking the seat that she was previously sitting in.

"I'm going with Caitlyn to the mall. Apparently there's this awesome magician doing tricks by the fountain!" They all just stared at her. "What? Magic can be cool! You two should understand." She pointed to both Leo and Chase.

"I only do them to get the ladies." Leo smirked.

"Yeah, and mine was more of a onetime thing, for the talent show." Chase shrugged, holding one of the paper planes that Bree had chucked at his head from earlier.

"Well, whatever, I'll see you guys later." She turned to make her leave when suddenly, "Wait, can I come with you?"

"Why?" She wondered, turning to face Chase with her arms crossed.

"I want to pick up my latest paycheck from Tech Town. Don't you have to get yours?"

"Oh, well alright. But let's go now, I don't want to be late for the magician!" She said, almost excitedly.

"You are _so _lame." He chuckled as he walked passed her, causing her to roll her eyes but follow him nonetheless.

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.

.

Twenty minutes and a trip to the gas station later, Chase pulled into the parking lot smoothly with Bree riding in the passenger seat. _Katy Perry _was currently blasting through the car's speakers and Chase was trying not to cringe too much.

Bree noticed and let out a laugh. "Come on, this song isn't _so _bad!"

He shook his head as he turned off the ignition, also causing the music to end. "Yes, it really is." She rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. "Next time the _driver_ picks the music, got it?"

"_Sure_." She said playfully as she got out of the car, him following her actions.

He was in the middle of locking the doors when suddenly she was by his side, due to her super speed. The quickness caused him to jump nearly a foot off the ground, almost dropping the keys in the process. "Whoa!"

"Sorry." She chuckled as he regained his composure. "But I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes, you _are_ annoying." He nodded.

She hit his arm, making him smile. "I'm serious!"

"Okay, okay." He laughed. "What's up?"

Bree hesitated before looking him square in the eye. "Did you mean it when you said that, if I tried, I could get into an Ivy League college?"

"Of course I did. Sure, you don't have a brain like mine," She rolled her eyes friskily but he stopped her. "I'm not bragging, I was going to say that you're still intelligent. I know. I've seen you. Especially on missions-"

"Yeah, but that's not _University_ smart." She corrected him.

He shrugged. "Getting into college doesn't necessarily mean you have to be a genius in the books." He took a step forward and placed both hands on her shoulders. "I believe that you can do _anything_ you set your mind to, Bree. Whether that be getting into Yale or working at McDonald's! Although I really hope you don't choose that second option…"

She smiled. "Don't worry, I have no desire to work at McDonald's. Taco Bell, _maybe_."

He laughed lightly at her comment. "So, _yes_, I was telling you the truth earlier."

Bree looked into his hazel eyes before smiling brightly. "Thanks, Chase."

Then, suddenly, something changed. The small smile that he had had while telling her all of those reassuring words disappeared. In its place was an almost shocked expression, like he had just remembered something really important. Or was it realization? Either way, he looked stunned and even a little upset about _something_.

"Are you okay?" She finally asked, her eyebrows pulled together into a frown. "Chase, what's wrong?"

He seemed to snap out of his, somewhat, of a trance as he cleared his throat. "Oh, um…yeah. Yeah, everything's fine." He looked to his hands, which were still firmly planted on her shoulders, and quickly let go.

"Come on, Caitlyn's probably wondering where you are. And I'm sure you don't want to miss the magician." He chuckled, but it didn't sound right. It sounded off, _nervous_ even.

"Yeah, sure." She nodded, jogging a bit to catch up with the few steps he had already taken.


	2. Chapter 2

**Darn, this chapter didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped… Don't worry, though, they will start getting longer! I promise! hahaha**

**Thank you to all who reviewed! Reading your guys' comments always puts a smile on my face. And to those who only favorite and followed, THANKS! I hope this story turns out to your liking! :)**

**As always: I don't own Lab Rats or any of the characters. (Dammit! XD)**

"Come on Chase, _pick up_."

Bree tapped her foot impatiently as she held her cell phone to her ear. Her other hand was firmly planted on her hip while she stared down at the ground, the sound of a call trying to be picked up ringing through the speakers.

After three rings, it went straight to voicemail.

She sighed as she pushed the END button and made her way over to Caitlyn, who had been standing only a few feet away. "Well, there goes my ride."

"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?" Her friend asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

Bree shook her head. "It's fine, really. My house is too far out of the way, I'd feel bad if you had to make the trip. I'll just call a cab or something."

"Okay, if you're sure." Caitlyn nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

The bionic teen smiled at her as she walked away. But as soon as Caitlyn was gone, a frown took over Bree's expression. Why didn't Chase answer? He told her he would drive her home after they were both done with their business at the mall. And she knew that he had his phone with him because he'd checked it before they got out of the car, she _saw_ him.

The thing that bothered her the most, though, was that the calls she made would only go to three rings before ending. Bree was sure that the average lifespan of a call was _five_. So the only conclusion she could come up with was that Chase had seen who was calling, debated whether or not to pick up, then declined the call in the end.

But…why?

After another few moments, Bree shook her head. Of course Chase wasn't _ignoring_ her. Why would he? No, she must have been wrong about how many rings were in a call. And he probably just assumed that she would be getting a ride home with Caitlyn. Yeah, everything was fine.

Deciding to believe that scenario, she quickly went around the back of the building and, making sure no one was looking, super speeded home.

.

.

.

Four days after the incident with the phone, Bree decided to discard the idea that Chase wasn't ignoring her because it had become very clear that he _was_.

When she got home from the mall that night, everyone claimed that he had already gone to bed. Naturally she thought nothing of it and planned on talking to him at school the next day. But that plan soon failed when she called his name in the hallway and he, after unmistakably seeing her, ran in the other direction. And confronting him after school was a no-go because he apparently had a 'science club meeting', or so he told everyone.

The next day was a Saturday, but by the time Bree had woken up, Chase was out of his capsule and out of the house. He had told only Mr. Davenport where he was going to be all day; at a _friend's_ house, but Bree thought it suspicious that he didn't give a name to this _friend_. Of course Davenport didn't question it because he trusted Chase and they all knew he was his favorite, though he never admitted it.

Which brought her to Sunday. She sat at the counter in the lab and tried to focus on the math homework in front of her, but her mind just wouldn't put in the effort. Every time she looked at a problem, another question would pop up in her head. Ones like _is Chase just going through a phase? _and _does he have a secret girlfriend that he's not telling anyone about?_

Though the question that seemed to come to mind most frequently was _did I do something wrong?_

Just as that one came up again, the doors slid open and a new presence was behind Bree. She turned to see the one person who occupied her mind constantly the past few days.

"Chase!" She exclaimed, a bit shocked but happy nonetheless.

He, on the other hand, looked only shocked. He obviously hadn't expected anyone, especially her, to be down here. "Oh. H-hey Bree."

She quickly stood up, completely forgetting her school work, and faced him head on. "Hey."

He looked passed her, at her books, and said, "You're busy. I'll just leave-"

"No I'm not." She cut him off hastily. "Can we talk?"

He glanced behind him, at the exit. "Now's not really a good time."

"Why not?"

She could tell he was thinking of something on the spot. "Well, I have homework to do and-"

"It's four o'clock. Everyone knows that you never let your homework go unfinished passed noon, Chase." She pointed out. Then she realized; he was trying to avoid her.

Again.

"Can't I be a little lazy sometimes?" He chuckled, looking anywhere in the room _but_ at her.

"What's going on?" She snapped, not wanting to beat around the bush anymore.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, _what's going on_?" She repeated, taking a step toward him. "You've been avoiding me. Why?"

He scoffed. "I haven't been _avoiding _you."

"Oh, really?" She asked, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Let's think back on this past week, shall we? You didn't answer my calls at the mall, forcing me to have to _run_ home," she could have sworn she saw a hint of guilt in his eyes. "You deliberately ran away from me in the hall at school. You claimed to be at a meeting afterward, so I couldn't talk to you then. Then you pulled the _same_ stunt just the day after, this time using the alias that you were at a friend's house."

"I _was_ at a friend's house." He defended himself.

"Really? What friend?" She questioned, cocking her head to the right.

He hesitated before saying, "Jimmy."

"Who the hell is Jimmy?" She snapped again, her eyes narrow.

"You don't know him. He's in the science club, though. We planned to..work on an experiment at his house the day before at the club meeting. Which was after school, like you said."

For a moment she thought of believing him. Then she realized that anyone could make up a story like that, and she was sure that there wasn't a _Jimmy_ in the science club. There wasn't even a _Jimmy_ in their grade.

"Whatever," she continued. "Putting all those events in order, it sounds a lot like avoiding to me. So, I ask again, _why_?"

He sighed, his gaze falling to the floor. "Bree-"

"Did I do something wrong?" She laughed, though it wasn't humorous but more frustrated. "Did I _say_ something to offend you?"

"Maybe you're just paranoid, ever think about that?" He suddenly snapped, making her go silent. She could only stare at him as he went on, "Maybe you've become too dependent on me, too dependent on this family!"

She found her voice again and scoffed. "I _highly_ doubt that-"

"I'm not done." He cut her off. Her eyes went slightly wider at how harsh he sounded. "You think I've been ignoring you all week, but really, nothing has changed. You just want something, or _someone_, to be mad at."

With that he turned and the doors slid open, allowing him to walk through. But she wasn't done either. In a moment she was in front of him, blocking his path and coming dangerously close to his face. "That's not true." She said, hoping that her voice didn't quiver too much.

He jumped slightly when she appeared so suddenly, but then his expression changed to one that Bree couldn't really make out. It seemed as though he had a million and one thoughts running through his head at once. Was he upset? Confused?

She had no idea.

His gaze traveled across every square inch of her face, staying on her lips a little longer than the rest, before he was looking into her eyes again. But as she stared back, she noticed that his expression had changed again;

this time to cold and angry.

"I'm out living my life. I suggest that you do the same." He brushed passed her and the doors slid closed, leaving her alone with nothing but her own, confused thoughts.

"What is going on?" She asked herself, her voice coming out in a short whisper as she fought the threat of tears in the backs of her eyes.

No, she wasn't going to cry. One; she wasn't a little girl anymore. And two; he was in a bad mood about _something_ and decided to take it out on her. And she couldn't exactly blame him, she _had _been pushing him.

But she had a right to, in her opinion. He'd clearly been dodging her for the past couple days for no reason. Nothing that she could've done, anyway. In fact, the last time they talked, they joked and laughed with each other. And he'd said all those sweet things about her doing anything she set her mind to.

Where did _that_ Chase go?

Bree didn't know, but she wanted him there. With her.


	3. Chapter 3

Bree blinked as she slowly woke up, opening her eyes to the lab that was getting more and more familiar to her. She still couldn't decide which version she liked better; old or new. True, the new model had better upgrades and was more in tune with technology.

But the old one was home.

Besides, she didn't particularly care for the upgrades. In fact, when Donald first showed them the improved lab, the only one who really seemed interested in the tech portion was...

_Chase_.

Just thinking his name brought a frown to Bree's face. She knew that it shouldn't since she didn't even know _why_ they were in this awkward situation to begin with.

The only person to blame was _him_ anyway.

Deciding to push the subject aside for the time being, she pressed a button from the inside of her capsule to put some clothes on. Then, nearly dragging her feet, she made her way upstairs to the kitchen. But just as the thought of delicious bacon crossed her mind, she stopped in her tracks at the sight of _him_.

Bree just stared at him from the sidelines as Adam talked on and on about some new video game that just came out. She doubted that Chase was even listening, his nose was too busy being pressed up against the screen of his phone.

"_Being rude must be a trend with him these days." _She thought bitterly.

"Seriously, though, we should get that game soon." Adam nodded as he took a bite of his breakfast. Then he looked up and saw Bree, something she wasn't exactly pleased with. "Oh, hey."

She saw Chase turn around to see who he was talking to, then quickly turn back and not even acknowledge her presence.

With a sigh she waved to Adam wordlessly and sat down on the stool next to him. She grabbed the box of _Powdered Sugar Cookie Donut O's _and poured herself a bowl, trying subtly to glance at Chase out of the corner of her eye.

Of course, he was on his phone again.

"Guess who's awesome?" Donald Davenport asked with a broad smile on his face as he strode into the kitchen. When all he got in response was silence, he sighed. "Alright, I'll give you a hint; he's super rich and _super_ handsome."

"Ryan Seacrest?" Adam asked, a hopeful smile on his face. But everyone just looked at him. "What? He is! And you can't deny that." He added with a look down at Bree, causing her to chuckle lightly.

Donald sighed again and pointed at himself. "Me! It's me! And can you guess _why_ I'm awesome? Because I just invented the world's first _vegetable oil_ powered toaster!"

Again, nothing but the chewing of breakfast and silence.

"Well don't all jump up and down at once." He remarked sarcastically as he grabbed a banana and peeled it.

"We just know that Leo will probably do something to mess it up." Bree shrugged. "No sense in getting excited for it now."

"Guys, do you know what this means?" Donald chuckled humorlessly. "If I can get a toaster to work on nothing but vegetable oil, think of what I'll be able to do in the _future_ with cars and computers! I'll be legendary! Although I'm pretty sure I already _am_, so…"

Chase just looked at him before turning to Adam. "So about that game?"

"I get _no _respect around here." Donald muttered.

Bree smiled as she looked over, seeing Adam getting worked up about his video game again. She risked a glance at Chase but didn't see his hazels looking back. Another sigh escaped her as she looked down into her breakfast.

After a few minutes of continuous talking, Adam excused himself to get dressed, leaving only Chase and Bree sitting at the counter as Donald stood on the other side while reading the newspaper. Bree didn't even bother to talk to him, not knowing what exactly to expect, and instead kept quiet.

She was really starting to hate this routine.

Donald glanced up at the teens, his eyebrows raised. "Why so quiet this morning? Usually you two fill the silence."

Chase cleared his throat. "Just a little tired I guess."

"Yeah.." Bree agreed, although she didn't know why she did. What she _really_ wanted to do was confront him on his recent behavior.

Donald nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "Well I have to go make a few calls. See you guys after school." He set the newspaper down and walked out, making the air in the room intensify.

Time for the confrontation.

"So, are you just not going to talk to me again? Ever?" She asked, her tone full of venom. She heard him sigh and noticed that it sounded annoyed. "Oh, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. How do _you_ think I should handle being ignored?"

He finally looked at her, his eyes hard. "For the last time, I'm not _ignoring _you." She scoffed in disbelief and he rolled his eyes. "But you seem to have that idea cemented into your brain, so why should I even try telling you differently?"

"Maybe I'd listen if you actually _tried_." She bit back.

He dropped his spoon, pretty forcefully, and turned in his seat to face her fully. "Why are you acting like this?"

"That's rich, coming from _you_!" She laughed humorlessly. "I should be asking the same thing! One day we're having a civil, actually _heart felt_ conversation in a mall parking lot and the next you take no notice of me! Care to explain?"

"I have nothing to explain, you're just paranoid."

She could feel the anger in her veins, but she wanted to stay calm. Otherwise she'd seem like a child throwing a tantrum, and that wasn't exactly the image she wanted to have in front of him at the moment.

"Screw you." She said finally. She quickly stood up, causing her stool to make a scratching noise, but she paid no mind to it. Instead she grabbed her stuff and walked through the front door, her heels clicking on the hard wood floor as she went, and not once looking back.

.

.

.

The rest of the day pretty much dragged on for Bree as she slowly got through every one of her classes. Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, English, World History…they all seemed to blend together for her by the end of the day. She was thankful for the final toll of the school bell.

The previously empty hallway filled up with students excitedly talking of plans for the upcoming weekend. She walked beside her friend and dodged the usual throwing of random objects that came with the joy of school letting out on a Friday afternoon, only to be stopped by a particularly _good looking_ blonde boy.

"Bree," He smiled, showing perfectly white teeth. "What's up?"

She glanced at Caitlyn before shrugging. "Not much Cory, you?"

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." He looked at Caitlyn as well. "You too." He placed a loose arm around Bree's shoulders and explained, "You see, I'm having this get together tomorrow night."

"Like a study group?" She asked dumbly, the scent of his cologne making her dizzy with nerves.

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you could call it that. Anyway, I wanted to know if you ladies wanted to come. It's gonna kick ass!"

"Of course we would!" Caitlyn blurted, maybe a little too suddenly.

Bree gave her a wide-eyed look before smiling at Cory. "We'd love to."

"Great." He flashed that smile of his again before unwrapping his arm from her shoulders and heading off to the next group of people nearby. "It starts whenever you decide to come!"

The two girls waited until he was out of earshot before squealing in delight. "Oh my god!"

"We just got invited to a party at Cory Smith's house!" Caitlyn beamed. "By _Cory _himself!"

"Hold on, he said it was a study group." Bree reminded her. But when she got a look from her friend, she laughed. "Oh of course I know it's a party!"

Caitlyn laughed along with her and they headed down the hall together.

.

.

.

Bree waved to her friend as her car pulled out of the Davenport driveway, driving down the road and out of sight. The bionic teen made her way into her house, seeing Mr. Davenport and Chase talking in the kitchen. She dropped her bag by the front door and strode across the living room.

"Hey Big D," She greeted with a smile. However she didn't even acknowledge Chase, instead opened the fridge and pulled out a bottled water. She could see him roll his eyes at her, but she just shrugged it off.

Donald noticed their bitter encounter and sighed. "Okay, what's going on with you two?" They both looked over at him. "First you don't talk to each other at breakfast, now you're sending evil glares at each other."

"Ask her, she's the one being immature." Chase scoffed.

"What?" Bree exclaimed, in complete disbelief that he would say something like that.

Chase leaned forward toward Mr. Davenport. "She thinks that I've been avoiding her for some reason."

"That's because you _have_!" Bree nearly shouted. "You don't even give me the time of day anymore!"

Chase turned around, glancing at the clock on the wall, and said to her, "Four thirty. There, happy?"

Bree just stared at him for the longest time. Sure, what he was doing was making her unbelievably angry and giving her the urge to strangle him. But it was also hurting her. How could he act so cold toward her and not feel remorse?

He didn't know how hard this was for her.

So, instead of continuing the fight and shouting more menacing words at him, she left without a word.

Meanwhile Mr. Davenport watched the entire scene play out. And, when Bree left, he could've sworn he saw the glint of guilt in Chase's eyes.

"Women, am I right?" Chase chuckled, however it sounded incredibly forced.

"I don't think so, not this time." Donald picked up his things and left the kitchen, leaving Chase alone with his thoughts that, unknown to anyone else, were full of regret and confusion.

**There, another chapter! I'm sorry about the wait, I've been pretty busy with other things and, to be honest, I kind of forgot about this one… XD**

**Anyway, read and review please! I love hearing your comments about what's going to happen. Does anyone have a guess as to why Chase is being so cruel lately? Let's see if anyone can call it! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Donald Davenport sat at his desk, subconsciously tapping his fingers against the hard surface while his chin rested in his other hand's palm. He stared at an empty document, which was open on the computer screen in front of him, yet he continued to sit still with no intention of typing anything.

Not anytime soon, at least.

Finally he shook his head and blew out a deep breath, deciding to be productive instead of just sitting there with his mind racing a million miles a minute. He sat up straight, cracked his neck and reached for his phone. Quickly scrolling through his list of contacts, he stopped on Chase's name and sent him a text, telling the bionic teen to come as soon as possible.

Within minutes Chase came into the giant living room, looking as chipper as usual. "Hey Mr. Davenport, what's going on?"

Donald took one look at him and sighed before motioning to a nearby chair. "Sit down, I think we should have a talk."

Chase looked confused but obliged nonetheless, slumping down into the chair so that he was eye level with the billionaire inventor. "Sure, what's up?"

"Is something going on?" Donald questioned, his hands folded in front of him as they rested on the desk top.

Chase blinked. "Isn't that what _I _asked _you_?" He tried to laugh it off yet his confusion was evident in his tone.

"So…everything's fine." Donald pressed, meaning for it to sound like a statement. However it still as though it was a question.

"Yeah," Chase shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "why wouldn't it be?"

Donald sighed again before meeting Chase's gaze. "Bree."

Automatically Chase seemed to tense, something Donald took note on. "What about her?"

"Chase, come on."

"What?" Chase shrugged again, although this time it seemed aggravated. "Why does everyone seem to think that I have it out for her lately?"

"Maybe it's the way you've been acting?" Donald cocked his head to the side slightly. "I hate to say it but you've been rude to her, for _no apparent reason _it seems."

"How have I been rude?" Chase laughed incredulously. "Just because I choose not to spend time with her? Last time I checked, Bree wants nothing to do with me! Or Adam for that matter."

"It's not just that, it's the slightly arbitrating glances and the smart remarks…even _I've _noticed. And I'm _me_!" Donald laughed, gesturing to himself. But when Chase simply shook his head and looked away, he cleared his throat. "You just haven't been as nice as you could be."

"I honestly don't see anything different with how I've been acting." Chase shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest and looking Davenport in the eye again.

"Obviously it's upsetting her, so why don't you talk to her about it?"

"She always gets upset, that's nothing new."

"Look, just talk to her and _apologize_-"

"I have nothing to apologize for!"

"It couldn't hurt-"

"If anyone is apologizing, it should be her for being so sensitive and getting mad at me for noth-"

"_Chase_!" Donald said in a firm tone causing Chase to immediately shut up. "I want you to go and apologize to her, alright? Right now."

Chase, who was clenching his jaw, finally nodded and stood without a word. He walked off in the direction of the lab as Donald leaned back in his chair, sighing for the hundredth time just in that hour. He really didn't know what Chase's problem was; was it deep rooted or simply a phase?

After another minute of thinking about it, he shrugged and decided to dismiss it off as puberty.

.

.

.

The elevator doors slid open as it stopped on the lowest level of the house – the lab. Chase, who had been leaning against the wall with his hands on the railing, pushed off reluctantly and stepped out. He continued to walk further when he heard someone else's voice.

Taking a few more steps, he finally saw Bree in the center of the lab with an armless dummy in front of her. Her back was turned to him as she swung her leg up, hitting the dummy square in the chest with her foot. Then she lowered herself back into a battling stance as she prepared herself for another swing.

"Hey," He called out, causing her to completely miss the target and almost fall over. He suppressed a smirk as she faced him, the look of surprise quickly fading from her face as she realized who was with her.

"Hey." She replied flatly, nodding at him before turning around again. With a grunt she punched the left shoulder of the dummy, making it swivel slightly where it stood.

Chase walked over slowly as she repeated the same action, alternating hands every so often, yet keeping her complete focus _not _on him.

"Geez, what did he ever do to you?" Chase asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

Bree stood up straight, brushing the hair out of her face. "A little extra training never hurt anybody."

Chase, who had been watching her, glanced at the dummy. "Not according to him."

Miraculously, he saw the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile.

After a few seconds of silence between them, he cleared his throat. "So…did you see the International Spelling Bee?"

Bree chuckled. "Chase, come on. You know me." He couldn't help but smile at her remark. "Besides, that was when the team was split up and I was too busy planning for my trip to Hawaii. Remember? The one that I never went on?"

"You really should see it," He continued. "I'm not just being a nerd either – the longest word they had this year was forty five letters long."

Bree finally looked at him, her expression formed with what looked to him like fascination.

Chase smirked. "Yep, _Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis_." He laughed at the face she made. "I'm not joking!"

"Well try saying that one five times really fast!" She laughed, meeting his gaze for the first time. As they looked at each other, there was another moment of silence. She quickly cleared it with a shake of her head. "You know, I always thought you'd be good at that."

"Good at what?"

"The Spelling Bee," She clarified, and he snorted. "Think about it, you're the smartest person on the planet. You practically have Google inside of your brain."

"Well then that would be _cheating_." He reminded her, yet his smile was still showing.

"Who cares? Isn't the big prize a bunch of money? Not to mention that it would look _great_ on any college application," She pointed out, repositioning the dummy.

"Yeah, and it'd be an awesome pick up line with the ladies," He added, jokingly.

She nodded in mock seriousness. "That's a good point."

Yet another silence came between them. Bree looked at the armless dummy again, contemplating what to do next. She didn't see Chase stiffen and his expression harden upon looking at her.

Meanwhile she was wondering why Chase's mood had changed so rapidly the moment he joined her in the lab. She had finally gotten used to his foul attitude toward her. Now suddenly he chooses to joke and laugh with her like the last week hadn't even happened?

"Chase-"

"How long have you been training down here?" He asked suddenly, cutting her short. Almost as if he somehow _knew _what she was going to ask.

She stumbled over her response. "A-about an hour now."

"Well you should really take a break soon." He nodded, his face clear of any of the humor he had just displayed only moments before. "You don't want to overdo it."

He started to walk away as she just stood there. "Right." However, as he was about to enter the elevator again, she spun around to face him and asked, "Can you wait? I want to ask you-"

"I know what you want to ask." He stated, cutting her off again.

She blinked before shrugging. "Okay, then answer."

He stared at her for a few seconds before saying, "I'd really rather not get into it right now. But you should still check out that Spelling Bee. See you," He turned again, stepping into the elevator.

And away from her.

She quickly decided that she wasn't going to let him get away that easily. Right as the doors were about to close, she threw her training gloves down onto the floor of the lab and super speeded in with him.

"Bree!"

She hit the EMERGENCY STOP button, causing the elevator to jolt to a stop. Then she stood in front of the giant red button, disallowing Chase any access to it.

He stared at her, hard. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm trying to talk to you." She replied, mimicking his expression. "It seems this is the only way I'll be able to keep you in the same room long enough to."

"Step aside, Bree." He said with forced calmness.

She almost faltered.

Almost.

"No." She said, standing her ground before him. She could tell that her response angered him, but she didn't care. "Not until I figure out what your problem is!"

His face didn't change. "I don't have-"

"Oh save it!" She yelled, letting her emotionless guard down. "You've been rude and flighty with me ever since that day at the mall." She watched him shake his head and smirk with incredulity. "What, is it something I said? Something I did?"

"You're completely overreacting."

She let out a cry of frustration and anger. "No! And don't try to tell me that I am again, because I _know _I'm not!"

"Well obviously whatever I say you're going to take it the wrong way so…"

"You are _despicable_, do you know that?" She said in normal volume again, refusing to let her voice crack and cause her feelings to spill all over the place. "You _know_ how you've been acting."

He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "If that's how you feel."

She felt the anger inside her reach an all-time high upon seeing his nonchalance at her outburst. "It is! And what the hell happened just now? You come down while I'm training, we have a conversation that's actually nice – the first one in a few _days_ might I add – then you turn the wheels suddenly and become this jerk again? How am I supposed to make sense of it?"

He leaned forward, an uncaring smirk on his lips. "Maybe you should just let it go. Ever thought of that? Why try to make sense of it when you could just forget about it and focus on something else? Why am I, and what I do, suddenly so important?"

She felt her eyes grow wide with rage and desperation.

"Just tell me what happened to make you hate me so much!"

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, he moved forward and pushed her up against the wall. She barely had time to let out a shriek of surprise as his hands rose up and slammed onto either side of her head, palms pressed firmly into the steel that lined the small elevator. She could only look up into his eyes as he stayed there, keeping her body pinned between him and the wall.

She wanted to speak, wanted to ask him what he was doing, but then she realized that she couldn't. His gaze upon her was too powerful for her to form any sensible words, so she decided to keep quiet and see where he would go next.

"You think I'm doing this because I _hate_ you?" He asked in a low voice that sounded very different than his usual, bright tone. His eyes were steely as he stared into her slightly frightened ones, his face only inches away from her own.

She could see, this up close, that emotions were _indeed_ swimming through his hazel orbs. She just couldn't make out what they were – there seemed to be too many to count.

Bree's breath hitched as he pushed his body into hers, feeling her back press into the cold steel behind her. "I-I only assumed-"

"You now think of me as an asshole, right? Someone who isn't even worth the time of day anymore?" He asked, his face even closer than before.

Her breathing grew shallow. "I'm starting to," She finally managed to say, her eyes fluttering.

She watched as he scanned her face with his eyes, a look of what almost looked like longing set deep in the hazel. Finally they stopped on her own, gazing at her with an intensity that made her heart stop.

"Good." He whispered, his words letting out a breath on her pale pink lips.

With that he pushed away, not before hitting the red button behind her, and the doors opened. He turned without saying a word and exited the elevator, leaving her alone while still up against the wall and breathing shallowly.

She could almost still feel his waist against hers, if she tried hard enough.

**Ooh, things are starting to get steamy! Haha By now I'm sure you've all figured out why Chase is acting this way…but for those of you who **_**don't**_**, I'll just keep you guessing! :) **

**Again, thanks for all the awesome reviews! It really means a lot! **


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